Apparatus for drying tin cans



Sept. 29, 1925.

IJ. .1. MURPHY APPARATUS FOR DRYING TIN cANs Filed Nov. 1, 1924 Fa'ten'tecl Sept. 29,- 1925.

UNITED STATES l 1,555,431 PATENT OFFICE.

- gvaMEs J. Mugla/,QLMQIFLILLINOIS, AssrGNOR To THE. RORDEN COMPANY, or

w NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION or NEW JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING TIN CANS.

Application led November 1, 1924. Serial- No. 747,303.

To all whom'z' may concern.'

Be it known that LJAMES J. MURPHY, a citizen of the United States, residing vin Dixon, in the county of Lee and State of llllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Drying Tin Cans, of which thel following is a specification.

The invention relates to an apparatus for drying cans.

lt is common practice at the present time to test by means of a water bath the tin cans to be used for containing preserved foods, such as evaporated and condensed milk and other articles of food. If a can develops a leak while in the water bath, it is removed from the continuous line of cans passing through the bath. `The cans which give no indication of leaking may be used-immediately or may be conveyed to storage for future use. In eithercase, it is desirable toremove the water adhering to the cans after they emerge from the bath.

The object of the present invention 1s to produce an improved apparatus for drying tin cans as they come from the testing bath in a continuous stream. The improved apparatus is of such construction and arrangement that it may be interposed at any convenient point in the line of cans passlng from the testing bath to the other pomts where the cans are subsequently operated upon. One feature of the invention is the arrangement by which the apparatus may be suspended clear of the floor, thus making more floor space available for other uses. Another important feature of the invention is the simplicity of the apparatus, which is so constructed as to operate with a minimum of attention from the operative. The invention itself is more fully described in the following specification and is particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The preferred form of the inventlon 1s illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved can'drying apparatus; Fig. 2 is a plan ofthe parts shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a section taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

The improved can drying apparatus,l as

I illustrated in the drawings, comprises a wiper 5 composed of felt or other absorbent material. The wiper 5 is 'at and extends throughout the length of the apparatus, and is supported on the top of an elongated drying chamber 6 composed of two box-like structures 7 and 8 resting on the bottom of a channel iron 9 having its side walls 10 upstanding, as shown in Fig. 3. The felt Wiper 5 is provided with downturned sides 11 whichv are received between the outer .walls of the chamber sections 7 and 8 and the upstanding walls 10 of the channel iron. Ex-V tending throughout each chamber section is a steam pipe 12. The wiper 5 and its associated parts are referably suspended clear of the floor and of uprights 15, 16 and 17 are provided, depending rom some superstructure of the building in which the apparatus is placed.

The cans 19 (of the usual cylindrical type are caused totravel over the wiper 5 wit a rollin motion so that the absorbent material o which the wiper is composed may wipe the water from the cylindrical part of the cans. The chamber 6 heated by the steam pipes 12 evaporates the moisture taken up .by the Wiper. The wet cans are fed into the drying apparatus from the testing bath through a can run consisting of bottom and top guides 20 and 21 and the side rails 22. The lower end of the bottom guide 20 terminates at theright hand end of the channel iron 9, and the lower ends of the upper guide pieces 21 terminate substantially above the lower end of the bottom guide piece. The side rails, however, are continued throughout the length of the apparatus, where they are designated at 23.

The rolling motion is imparted to the cans by means of a belt 24 which passes over the pulleys 25 and 26 mounted on the shafts 27 and 28 respectively. The outer end of each shaft is journaled in a bearing 29 supported by a yoke 30 adjustably mounted in a bracket 31 adjustably secured to the upright or this purpose three pairs rods 15 and 16. The slack in the belt 24 is takenup by means of an idler pulley 33 carried on the Outer end of the -arm 34 ivoted on the shaft 27. In order that the ttom section 35 of the belt 24 may be more effective in rolling the cans a series of leaf springs 36 are arranged to bear against the top surface of the lower section 35 of the belt. The leaf springs 36 are secured to the underside of the longitudinally disposed bar 38 supported at each end by a rod 37 depending lll lli

from themiddle et the bars 38 supported by the split collars 39 mounted on the outer ends of the yokes 30.` The wiper-5, the lower section 3&5 of 'the belt 24 and the side rails 23V constitute a can runway. A belt-driven pulley 40 drives the `belt 24.

While the cans are being rolled over the wiper to dry the cylindrical part of the cans, hot, dry air is directed against the ends of the rotating cans, preferably against the lower halves thereof. For this purpose two hot air chambers which may conveniently be large pipes 4l and 42 are arranged above the line of traveling cans, one at each side thereof. The pipes 4l and 42 are provided with the downwardly and diagonally directed openingslil through which hot air under pressure is directed against the ends of the cans., rlhis hot air also serves to aid in evapora-ting the moisture taken up by the wiper. Air under pressure is admitted into the hot air chambers 4l and 42 through lthe pipes which are connected with an air compressor or other source or compressed air, rllhe air in the chambers 4l and 42 is heated by means oit the steam pipes generally indicated at 46.

` cally.,

rl`he can wiping apparatus is adjustable within certain limits for accommodating cans ot dilerent sizes. For this reason 'the supports for the belt 24 are adjusted vertirlhe lateral adf'ustment for the side guide rails 23 is effected by connecting the rails 23 with the inner ends of the sliding bars 47, each of which is loosely mounted in the upper part or a block 48 supported on a cross piece 49 secured to the underside of the channel iron 9.

The hot air chambers 4l and 42 are supported at each end by the split collars 50,

connected with and rising from the sliding bars 4?. Thus when the side guide rails 23 are adjusted inwardly'or outwardly to accommodate cans o different lengths, the hot air chambers 4l and 42 are shifted laterally at the same time and their proper relative position to the ends of the cans is thus maintained., Yllhe two hot air chambers and t Ae side guiderails are shifted toward and 'from each other by manipulating the handles 5l secured to and depending from the longitudinally arranged rods 52 which are journaled at their outer ends in the lower parts' of the blocks 48. The vertically arranged arms 5? secured atl their lower ends to the rods 52 are loosely connected at their upper ends with the pins 54 which are threaded into the lower halves of the split collars 50.

lt will now understood that as the line et cans is delivered in a continuous stre-am from the testing bath to the improved drying apparatus the cans are caused to roll over the 'felt wiping surface 5 by the action oi the belt 24, the heat from the chamber il serving to dry the wiper, so 4that by the time ,the cans reach the discharge end et the apparatus they are thoroughly dry While the cylindrical part of the cans is being wiped dry by the action oil the wiper 5 the ends et' the cans are edectively dried by the streams of hot dry air directed against them through the apertures 43 in the hot lair chambers 4l and 42.k f

A Having thus described the invention what ll claim. as new is l. An apparatus for drying cylindrical tin cans and the like comprising, an elongated chamber, means for heating the chamber, absorbentJ materia-l supported on the upper side of the chamber, means tor rolling cans over the absorbent material, and means for directing a current of dry air against the ends oat the cans.

2. An apparatus for drying cylindrical tin cans and the like comprising, an elongated strip oi absorbent material constituting one side or" a can runway, means for drying the absorbent material, e, belt constituting the other side of the can runway for causing the cans to roll over the absorbent material, means for actuating the belt, and means for drying the ends oiE the cans.

3. An apparatus for drying cylindrical tin cans and the like comprising, a strip oit' absorbent material constituting one side of a can runway, a belt constituting the other side of the can runway for causing the cans to roll over the strip of absorbent material, means :tor actuating the belt, and means for drying the ends of the cans 4. ln apparatus :for drying cylindrical tin cans and the like comprising, a straight surface constituting one side oi a can runway and having thereon a strip et absorbent. material, means for heating the surface to dry the absorbent material, a. belt constituting the other side of the runway for causing the cans to roll over the strip of absorbent material, means for actuating the belt, and means for directing a current of dry air yagainst the ends of the cans.

5. An apparatus for drying cylindrical tin ,cans and the like comprising, an elongated chamber having a flat upper side, a strip oit absorbent material supported on the upper side of the chamber, means for causing a series of cans to roll over the strip of absorbent material, and means for directing a current ol dry air against the ends of the cans. A

6. An apparatus for drying cylindrical tin cans 'and the like comprising, an elongated chamber having a fiat upper side, a. strip of absorbent material supported thereon, means for heating the chamber to dry4 the absorbent material, means for causing a series of tin cans to roll over the absorbent material, a pair of perforated pipes arranged above and lengthwise of the chamber for directing a current of air against the ends of run and servin .means for vertically adjusting the belt,

a pair of perforated pipes for forcing air against the ends of the cans, and means for moving the pipes toward and from each other.

8. An apparatus for drying cylindrical tin cans and the like comprising, an elongatedy chamber having a fiat upper side, a strlp of absorbent material su ported thereon and constituting one side o? a can run, means for heating the chamber to dry the-material, a belt constituting the other side of the can to cause a series of cans to roll over the a sorbent material, means for driving the belt, uprights, brackets for. sulpporting the belt adjustably secured to t uprights, a longitudinal strip supported from the brackets, leaf sprin s secured to the longitudinal strip and bearlngy against the belt to force it into contact with the cans, and means for drying the ends of the cans.

9.. An a paratus for drying cylindrical tin cans'and hevlike comprising, an elongated straight surface having a strlp of absorbent material thereon constituting one side oa can run, a belt constituting the otherside of the can'run and serving to cause a Yseries of cans to roll over the absorbent material, means for driving the belt, uprights, brackets for su porting the belt adjustably secured to t e uprights, a lon itudinal strip supported from the brackets, eaf springs secured to the longitudinal strips and bearing against the belt and forcing it into contact ,with the cans, a pair of pipes. arranged `lengthwise of the elongated surface for d1- recting a current of air against the ends of far the cans, and manually operated means for moving the pipes. toward and' from each other. f

10. An apparatus for drying cylindrical tin cans and the like comprising, an elongated chamber having a at upper surface,

'a strip of absorbent material supported thereonl constitutin one side of a can run, means for heating t e chamber to dry the abs4 sorbent material, a belt forming the other side of the can run and serving to cause a series of cans to roll over the absorbent material, means for driving the belt, Avertically adjustable means for supporting the belt, a longitudinal strip supported from the vertically adjustable means and having resilient belt engaging means `for forcing the belt against the cans, a plurality of perforated pipes for directing a current of --air a ainst the ends of the cans means for heating. and drying the air in the pipes, and means for moving thelpipes toward and from each other.

11. An a paratus for drying cylindrical tin cans an the like comprising, a strip of absorbent materialconstituting one side of a can runway, means for causing the cans to rollover the strip of absorbent material, and meansfor drying the endsJ of the cans.

e. JAMES4 J. MURPHY. 

